Wins $50,000 Scratch-Off Prize
Sporting a winning smile and an engaging spirit, Warren Stein shared his story with Lottery officials. “It’s been a tough five years,” said the 54-year-old Severna Park man. The single-dad won custody of his seven-year-old daughter but is still getting over some of the financial repercussions. “I lost my home and am renting,” said Warren. “I’ve been trying to do things right,” he said. “It does come back to you.”
Warren, who is the owner of Maryland Crab and Oyster Company, is a big fan of Maryland Lottery scratch-offs and chooses his purchases carefully. “I will sometimes look at the Lottery’s website,” he said. “I see what prizes are remaining on the tickets.” His prudent choices paid off to the tune of $50,000 yesterday when Warren stopped at his favorite Lottery retailer and bought three scratch-offs. He then went home, where he proceeded to scratch them. The first two tickets didn’t produce a win. The third and last ticket was another story. “I saw the first $10,000 match, then another, then another…” With his 200-pound mastiff the only witness to his win, Warren digested the good news and then hurried to retrieve his daughter from school. “I said ‘you’re not going to believe this, we won the Lottery.’” Not fully comprehending the enormity of their good fortune, his daughter was nevertheless jumping up and down about the news and quickly requested a Nintendo DS.
“This means a lot, believe me,” said Warren. “This gives me a chance to sleep easier.” The happy dad may use some of his prize to get a car with air conditioning, but most importantly, intends to invest the money wisely – of course, he will also buy that Nintendo game.
The winning ticket was purchased at McKinsey Road Shell, located at 601 Ritchie Hwy. in Severna Park.